Fire-escape.



A. A. JAHNKE.

HRB ESCAPE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.20,1909.

Patented Nov; 16, 1909.

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ALBERT A. JAI-INKE, OF SAN FRANCISCO, GALIEORNI.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov., iti, i969,

Application filed April 2i), 1909. Serial No. 491,054.

. lication.

This invention has relation to improvements in hand operating fireescapes, and it consists in the novel construction, combination andarrangement of parts of which it is composed, all as will be hereinaftermore fully described and particularly pointed out in the followingspecification.

The annexed drawing, to which reference is made, fully illustrates myinvention, in which- Figure l, represents a vertical sectional view ofmy device. Fig. 2, is a vertical transverse sectional View, and Fig. 3,is a side View.

Referring by letter to the accompanying drawing, A, designates the fireescape, com prising side disks a, a', having hollow handles Z2, b, and atransverse shaft c, which has its end bearings in boxes ci, (l, of thehollow handles. These disks are connected to one another by transversebinding rods e, thus forming a rigid frame or body. Mounted upon thistransverse shaft is a reel f, composed of the sleeve g, which is securedto said shaft by screw L, to permit said sleeve to turn, only, with saidshaft, and at one end of this sleeve is secured or formed integraltherewith a disk z', and between this disk and the disk a, is a spacela, in which is interposed a gear wheel Z, that is securely mounted onthe transverse shaft, and which meshes with a pinion m, secured to ashort horizontal detachable shaft n, that has its bearing or support inthe side disk a', the inner end of this shaft is supported at the outerend by a bracket or arm p, fixed to said disk. This disk is constructedwith a circular recess or boxing r, in which are arranged twinsemicircular blocks s, s, having inner and outer arms t, t, which areslotted at c, and through which pass a screw bolt fw, and the shortshaft aforesaid. The twin blocks being held in position by the heads ofthe screws, and the short shaft n, having fiat sides that engage thesides of the slots t, t, thus revolving the blocks, when the pinion isin motion, and between the two blocks, are springs 2 y, that cause theblock or circular friction shoe to impinge upon the inner circular wallof the box, thereby at all times keeping the twin section of the brakeshoe slightly spread apart.

The cable c, is reeled upon the transverse sleeve; the inner end thereofbeing secured tothe escape while the outer end has a hook 7b2, or otherdevice by which said cable can be made fast to an object; the cablebeing wound upon the sleeve by a crank (shown in dotted lines)applicable to the square end f, of the transverse shaft c.

Straps or suspending cables g, are secured to the disks by one end,while the opposite end may be secured to a basket or to a belt around apersons waist.

It is obvious, from the above description, when taken in connection withthe accompanying drawing that by my construction of a fire escape aperson can readily descend from a building with the assurance that therevolution of the reel in paying out the cable, will be controlled to anicety, as the brake instantly and at all times during the descent actsautomatically, by the twin section comprising the shoe, in itsrevolution impinging the inner face of the box, said revolution obtainedthrough the medium of the gearwheel and pinion.

For further security and at the same time imparting more confidence tothe operator I reinforce the brake shoe by a hand lever t, which isfulcrumed to the hollow handle at i', and is pivoted to the lower end ofa short rod c, the free end of which passes through an opening Z, in thebody of the box and contacts with the periphery of the shoe and bypressure upon the fulcrumed lever, the shoe is forced against the innerwall of the box and greater friction is secured between these parts.

It will be seen that the descending escape is controlled by theautomatically operating shoe and when it is desired to still furtherretard the movement of the saine, the operator presses upon thefulcrumed lever and thereby forcing the shoe to a continual frictionwith the wall of the box casing and the operator can regulate thedownward movement of the escape at will, or can at any given point bringthe device to a full stop, and a device as herein described and shown isdurable, easily operated, ornamental, and, at the same time cheap tomanufacture.

In the drawing I have shown a preferable construction of the variousparts, but various changes may be made therein, without departing fromthe spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent isl. A lire escape comprising two spaced disks formedwith hollow handles, a shaft j ournaled in said disks and handles, adrumsleeve secured on said shaft and having a disk flange, and a gearwheel on said shaft between the drum flange and one of the main disksand a pinion engaging said gear wheel and a brake controlled by the rateof rotation of said pinion.

2. The herein described lire escape, comprising twin side disks, eachhaving a hollow handle and Connected to one another by the binding rods,one of which disks having a box, a sleeve mounted upon the shaft, havinga flange, a gear wheel secured to the transverse shaft, and interposedbetween the flange and box disk, a pinion engaging the gear wheel andsecured to the inner end of the shaft n, a brake shoe comprising twinblocks, having the slots to engage the flatsurfaces of the pinion shaftand arranged within the box and a brake lever consisting of the handle hfulcrumed to the hollow handle and pivoted at its inner end to the lowerend of a vertical rod 7c', the upper end thereof contacting with theblocks.

In testimony whereof l afllx my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALBERT A. JAHNKE.

Witnesses R. B. BATES, FRANK J. GOLDEN.

